A Tall Dark Stranger

by Joan Smith

HOW CAN SHE REMAIN COLD AND OBJECTIVE

WHILE PASSION SWIRLS AROUND HER?

Amy Talbot's idyll sketching wildflowers halts abruptly when she finds a body among the river reeds. Suddenly the quaint village of Chilton Abbas is buzzing with speculation: Who killed Mr. Stoddart. And why?

As her brother develops a severe case of spy-itis, Amy, too, becomes intrigued--and topping her suspect list is a tall, dark stranger: Mr. Renshaw. His Banbury tales of India and an inheritance, coupled with his exaggerated interest in her (and her sizable dowry, she suspects), lead her to believe he is of dubious character.

But he doesn't look like a murderer. In fact, with his dark eyes gazing deeply into hers, he looks infinitely romantic--much more the hero than the villain of the story. . . .

Genres: Regency, Romance, Traditional Regency, British Literature, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Clean Romance

184 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 29, 1995

About the author

Joan Smith is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the Ontario College of Education. She has taught French and English in high school and English in college. When she began writing, her interest in Jane Austen and Lord Byron led to her first choice of genre, the Regency, which she especially liked for its wit and humor.
Her favorite travel destination is England, where she researches her books. Her hobbies are gardening, painting, sculpture and reading. She is married and has three children. A prolific writer, she is currently working on Regencies and various mysteries at her home in Georgetown, Ontario.
She is also known as Jennie Gallant

Reviews

[Elidanora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re- read 2016

[Claire S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Joan Smith seems to like to write her romance mysteries in first person and it doesn't always work. The story is told from the point of view of the heroine who likes to paint flowers but this is not a central plot. It's basically an excuse for her to be outdoors when events happen. She's with her brother when he discovers the body and the story evolves from there with the mystery of the murder as well as robbery. The first person narration is supposed to keep us unaware of who the tall dark stranger is, since we only know what the h knows, but it's pretty obvious who he's supposed to be and what he's doing there. The other problem with the h's point of view is that we don't know why the H falls in love with her at first sight, so the romance is not very believable. The story does have some of Joan Smith's sparkling dialogue and wit but, overall, it was just an okay book. It's a quick, clean and harmless read.

[Lola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amy loves to sketch pictures of wildflowers. She was doing that one day when she spotted a body along the stream. Now starts the questioning and investigating about who would have done this. Was it a local person or was it a stranger?
A tall dark stranger in the area could likely be the murderer but Amy doesn't want that to be him.
She finds herself very attracted to him.

[Elen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A standard 3-star Joan Smith regency - overall a fun read, occasionally humorous, a different plot from the norm, less typical characters, almost zero angst, also not very fluffy, but guaranteed to lose a few hours.

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

From 1995. I am now wary of the back-list. The h behaves as no country miss ought, and the plot wobbles. Behold here a case of insta-love, the 30-second variety, even though the h's sharp tongue doth make you wonder why anyone would. Fall in love with her, that is.

[Flo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too Complicated for a Regency Romance

Only Smith's writing is enjoyable and her drawing of her characters. There is a murder, 2 bags of gold, spies, strange men and one obvious lover. Otherwise nothing. Do not recommend.

[Tracy Samilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging murder mystery with a satisfying romance

This is one of Smith's better books. The usual witty, sharp repartee between the lovers, with a twisty- turny whodunnit. Recommended.

[Alyssa Davenport · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unexpectedly good read! Murder, imposters, theft, spies — and a little bit of romance.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love her books but this one fell flat.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably entertaining

A cross between a Recency romance and a detective story, I was interested at first because it introduces a heroine who paints wild flowers, and the first few chapters do go into some detail about this. It is later forgotten about as the plot thickens, and it's not to difficult to guess the identity of the culprits. Still, it is quite entertaining.
Some anachronisms.....no-one ever talked of a 'date' until well into the 20th century, and no-one in British usage EVER said 'normalcy'!! This is entirely American.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty silly.